Moi Lyubov
by SocialDisease609
Summary: Hanne's first day in Ravka just happens to be the wedding ceremony between King Nikolai and Prince Ehri. However, after a stroll around the palace grounds late that night, Hanne comes across the king with someone other than his bride.


Hanne's first night in Ravka wasn't what she expected it would be. Of course there was nothing wrong with having her first day in a foreign country- well, her new country- to be one of grand celebration, but she always imagined walking into Ravka and just receiving what would be typical immigration protocols, where Nina would escort her to the immigration office, then help her secure housing, and _then_ make her way to the Zoya Nazyalensky for enlistment papers. Yes, Hanne agreed to join the cause, but the urgency to add her to their ranks got a little under her skin.

Today, King Nikolai was marrying Princess Erhi, and all Grisha soldiers were expected to wear their best Keftas in respect, whether they were attending the ceremony or not. Zoya was disgusted by the thought of a new Grisha soldier attending without a uniform, and sent her to the tailor right after, with an order from the Commander herself to have her jump the line. Hanne wasn't sure if Commander Nazyalensky was just irritated that Nina got her to handle the enlistment paperwork on such a special day, or if she was just like that… or both. Beforehand, Nina was bursting with excitement as she told Hanne about the Commander.

"You just have to meet her yourself," she had said. "You just… you have to. You just have to experience her."

Hanne didn't know what Nina wanted her to pay attention to regarding the high officer. Sure, she was stunning, sure, but was that it? Hanne preferred to imagine the Commander's potential instead. What grand accomplishments had she achieved aside from the events of the Ravkan Civil War? Was she ruthless in battle? Did she give no quarter? Was she all bloodlust or cold calculation? Hanne found herself inspired by the possibilities and being in the presence of a woman who had earned such respect.

Soon she was outfitted in the red kefta of the Corporalki with the grey embroidery of a Healer. From the conditioning of upbringing, she felt out-of-body when she held herself in a mirror, seeing herself in the uniform of "the enemy".

But her soul reunited with her body when she registered the feeling of Nina's hand slipping into her palm. She followed Nina around all day, trying to ignore the truth that she was completely alone without her, knowing no one else. The same soft voice whimpered in her mind again, hoping that she would make friends among the other Grisha soon, but also fearing that it was going to be hard. She didn't think a lot of her fellow soldiers were going to like the idea that she was the daughter of Jarl Brum.

The ceremony was beautiful, although Hanne could tell by body language alone that many of the Shu visitors were not pleased, despite their best acting at smiling wipe and clapping their hands together as hard as they could.

Honor Guard Grisha members lined up in front of the church as the wedding bells rang, _clonging_ in the towers of the cathedral. Hanna and Nina watched along with an entire crowd of Grisha behind the nobles watching, trying to get a look between everyone's shoulders and around necks. They were all supposed to be standing at attention, but everyone was risking a little slight tilt of the head for a second or two to have a better glimpse. Hanne had to bend her knees a few times, afraid she would end up locking them.

Commander Nazyalensky ceremoniously marched towards the Honor Guard, rifle leaning against her right shoulder, the butt of the stock tucked under her hand. Not once did she turn to see the new bridge and groom descend the steps. Halting in front of the Honor Guard formation, she shouted her command of "_Gotov!_". She raised her firearm, poised to aim at the sky, as the Honor Guard did the same. It was going to take Hanne a while to get used to hearing Ravkan be the dominate language in her day to day life.

"_Ogon'_!" the Commander shouted, and all the rifles fired at once, shooting blanks into the sky. The ground shook and Hanne could have sworn the shots reverberated in her chest cavity.

The festivities in the Little Palace were unlike any she would have witnessed in Fjerda. Sure the Ice Court held its galas, but this ceremony was unique. It had its major overtones of Ravkan culture, as it was the host nation, and then select Shu decorations, flowers, and entertainment groups. And then the further into the night's program, the more diverse it became, showcasing traditional Suli and Zemeni musicians. Nina said it was to recognize not only to respect any delegates from those lands, but also to give the Grisha from there a taste of home. There was no Fjerdan representation however, and Hanne, while secretly hurt, understood why.

Hanne spent the dinner celebrations watching Nina explain Ravkan delicacies with zeal. Nina also didn't hesitate to feed Hanne a small dumpling called a _pelmeni_, gently blowing on it at first before holding it in front of Hanne's lips. Nina encouraged her to sample deserts like _pryaniki_, a honey spiced cookie meant to be accompanied with tea. Hanne once asked if it was okay to have desserts in the middle of the dinner meal, to which Nina scowled quickly, saying "of course! If they cared about the order of food here, they also wouldn't be serving _syrnmiki _either!" She plopped two fluffy cottage cheese pancakes on her plate the instant she mentioned them. Hanne thoroughly enjoyed the fish stews, which reminded her of heating up on bitterly cold Fjerdan nights back in Gӓfvalle. They sipped on fine wines and ciders, and Hanne nursed an ale while Nina drank heartily.

At the end of the ceremony, Hanne wanted to take a walk around the Little Palace alone. Nina was a little worried, but respected Hanne's insisting. She would be waiting in the guest room Nikolai ordered to have prepared for them.

She spent about an hour by a pond on the castle grounds, holding tight a tin cup of steaming cider. She had it mostly to keep her hands warm as she contemplated her life up until now and what was coming in the very near future. She was ready to stop the evils of the world, she was ready to combat the prejudice against Grisha… but to kill Fjerdan soldiers. Kill the kinsmen she was born amongst? If only she could just go after the purely evil ones, not the ones just trying to have a job… but, that thought always launched her on an internal philosophical strife. Were all Fjerdans in the military bad people because they knowingly served a nation that committed atrocities? Were they evil for not agreeing but still doing nothing? Was she evil if she killed the Fjerdan soldiers who really were good people?

Sighing, she took a sip of her cider and decided it was about time to return to Nina before she got worried. It would be a short cut to come through the indoor gardens of the Little Palace towards the guest wing. And it being so late, probably , and mostly everyone being so drunk, the palace and grounds were scarce of guests. She opened the glass door to the indoor gardens gingerly, not wanting to be loud and draw attention of a patrolling guard. She wanted to make it to her room without interruptions.

Hanne stopped in the middle of the gardens. She could have sworn she heard a sigh. Was there someone in this room with her? There was no light in the area, save for the moonlight, so if someone was here…

Hanne walked slowly, placing each step like she was stepping on a cushion. Step by step, she made her way through the gardens, and picked an apple tree to hide behind. She had a feeling the other inhabitant was just around the corner. As she peered around, her hands placed against the trunk of the tree, her suspicions were confirmed, and it was definitely a situation she was not prepared for.

It was not one, but two people, engaged in an obviously secret tryst. And to make matters worse, it wasn't just any two people, but King Nikolai and Commander Nazyalensky. The king was expected to be bedding his new queen this night, but here he was, a quarter after two in the morning, making love to the Commander of the Grisha forces.

Zoya was seated upon a table, one hand at the back of his neck and the other holding onto a shoulder as he held up her right leg for a better angle, and used his other hand to steady the table of any rocking sounds.

_What a scandal_, Hanne thought to herself as she bit her lip. She needed to slip towards the door to get out of here. Or just turn around the way she came and take the longer way home. She had heard some rumors in passing during dinner while seated amongst other Grisha soldiers, but didn't expect them to be true. The door was to the right of the couple, and Hanne knew there was no way she was going to be able to sneak past without getting caught.

_Djel, forgive me_, Hanne prayed, furrowing her brows in shame. It was too cold to turn around and walk back, she was just going to wait for them to finish. She took one last look at the two, simply drawn by the shock of the scene. Nikolai fervently placed kisses on Zoya's neck, lifting his hand from the table to slide his hand across the other side of her neck to slip into her hair. The table began to rock rhythmically for a few beats before Zoya removed her hand from the back of Nikolai's head to steady the table herself.

Hanne closed her eyes tight. This wasn't something she was supposed to see, the least she could do to respect their privacy was to not view any more of it. Thank Djel she wasn't fluent in Ravkan; understanding their mutterings would have just made tuning it out even harder. But their breaths and stifled moans and grunts still spread shivers across her body.

A few minutes in, Nikolai began to quietly praise Zoya, muttering what Hanne could only suspect were words of encouragement.

"_Da,_ _moi lyubov_…" he continued to whisper.

Letting just one eye peak open out of curiosity, she hoped this signified that they were done. Both Zoya's hands were gripping Nikolai's bare hips, trying to pull him closer as he continued to push, her legs shaking slightly. She was biting down on her lip harshly, and her eyes were shut as Hanne's just were a moment ago. Hanne blushed and looked away, letting the Commander have the rest of her climax to herself and the King. She could hear Zoya let out a trembling breath as it dissipated, and then Hanne heard a shuffling sound and looked back.

Zoya had firmly, but not rudely, pushed Nikolai's hips away from her, which resulted in the king placing his left hand on the table to support himself. He hung his head down, still standing between Zoya's legs and placed his right hand around himself, moving his hand up and down the shaft desperately. Zoya watched, her cheeks flushed, but her face still portraying pride. Nikolai came on the ground underneath the table, grunting low with each spurt.

_Good_, Hanne thought to herself. _Now they'll just get dressed and leave-_

Nikolai looked up towards Zoya, both of them out of breath, and leaned in for a kiss- Zoya turned her head, exposing her cheek instead. Nikolai froze, his lips hovering over the skin.

_What did this mean?_ Hanne thought to herself. The king must have been wondering too, because he asked softly: _zachem_? Nina taught her that word. It meant "why".

Hanne wished she knew more Ravkan. She found herself attracted to the drama, like a school girl.

The Commander looked at him with her steel blue eyes. She was replying to him in Ravkan, her chin held high, but her eyes betrayed her in just one flash of emotion. All Hanne could get was _potseluy_, _menya_, _eta noch'yu_, _tsarina_, and _do svidaniya, moi tsar … Nikolai_.

Hanne didn't have to know it all to guess. Zoya most likely lamented something among the lines of "Don't kiss me. This was just for tonight. You have a queen now. Goodbye, my king… Nikolai."

She pushed herself off the table and began pulling her trousers back on. Nikolai watched for a second before pulling his back on too. The both of them redressing silently. As Zoya began fluffing her hair, Nikolai reached out and grabbed her other hand, turning her around.

"Zoya," Nikolai said with a frown. "Zoya, _ya lyublu tebya._"

Zoya's face went through a shock like she had been struck by lightning. Hanne knew what he said too. _I love you_.

Zoya swallowed. "_Nyet_," she replied simply after that. "_Nyet_," she repeated. "_Ti ne lyubish menya._"

"Zoya," the king began to plead. "Zoya-"

"_Pozhaluysta, Nikolai_!" Zoya's voice had cracked as she raised it, risking their position, and quite possibly, social reputation, and Hanne could have sworn she saw a glisten in the Commander's eyes, even in this dark hue of moonlight. Was she on the verge of tears?

"_Prosti menya_" Nikolai replied, and watched her walk out the door. His shoulders hunched in defeat, a stance never to be seen on a king. But he pulled himself together after a few breaths to calm him down and walked out the door.

Hanne couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. A sensitive, human moment between two people who couldn't afford to be seen as human. To the people of Ravka, they had the job of being King and God. Those were not actual humans in the eyes of the everyday man.

Slipping out of the Garden Room and into the hallways of the Little Palace, Hanne rushed to make it to the room she was sharing with Nina.

"Nina," Hanne started, pressing her back against the door she just closed.

Nina was lounging on the bed when Hanne entered, and smiled. "Come here," she said, rubbing a spot on the comforter.

"Nina, you won't believe what I just saw."

Nina reached for Hanne's hand as she approached and pulled her down on to the bed with her.

"What did you see?" Nina asked softly, twirling just a small lock of Hanne's hair around her finger. Hanne had started to grow it out, but it was still relatively short because she kept trimming it.

"I saw the King and the Commander!"

"Oh?" Nina asked, here eyes gazing everyone on Hanne's face, lingering on her jawline and then down to her collar bone. "Shouldn't the King be in his wedding chamber?"

"That's what I thought!" Hanne said energetically. "But they were- Nina, would you please? Not right now?" Hanne gently laid a hand on Nina's shoulder, urging her to pull his lips away from her neck. Nina left one last wet press before pulling away.

"Sorry, _moi lyubov_," Nina whispered in her ear, and Hanne shivered at the endearment, her memory flashing to the passion between Nikolai and Zoya, seeing the king urge Zoya over the ledge. "You're just so beautiful, and I haven't been able to touch you all day." Nina began to slowly massage Hanne's shoulders.

Hanne continued her story, more languidly this time, enjoying the sensation of Nina loosening her muscles. "They were…" How was she gonna put this? "They were… _with_ each other," Hanne settled with.

Nina's eyebrow arched. "Sex?"

Hanne blushed. "Yes," she muttered, whishing she should have not been so reserved herself.

"Yes, in the Garden Room. I saw them, but they didn't see me."

Nina then began to laugh and ran both her hands through her own hair. "What would the Shu think?" she asked to no one in mock concern.

"I think Zoya ended whatever it was," Hanne said. Nina shook her head in amusement and then began to crawl closer to Hanne on the bed again, using body language to urge Hanne to lie down. She did and felt Nina crawl upon her, resting most of her weight upon her. Hanne loved feeling Nina's warm body press down on her. It was the most comforting thing in her life. "She told him 'just tonight', I think."

"Using your Rakvan to spy on our king, huh?" Nina teased returning to worship Hanne's neck with her lips.

"Nina! This is serious!"

"If Zoya said it was over, then it's over. There's nothing at stake for Ravka. Those two love the country more than anyone else in this nation who calls themselves a patriot," Nina cooed, her hands undoing Hanne's kefta. "Get comfortable," she whispered.

"How can you say that?" Hanne sitting up a bit to aid Nina in removing the uniform. The kefta was shed and Hanne was just left in her typical wear of trousers and cotton button shirt. "If they broke just this once, who's to say they might not want to be with each other again?"

"And who's to say they have only been together just this once?" Nina shrugged as if it was insignificant. She started working on the buttons of Hanne's shirt now.

Hanne couldn't say, but she found herself wondering why she cared so much? This was her new home, her new country. Her first night in it showed her a fragility in it's structure… but Nina grew up here. Fought along side her- _their_ commander, and they did say first impressions weren't always correct, but what a hell of a first impression.

"Hanne," Nina soothed, her hands pushing down the button up and brushing across the deeply warm skin of Hanne's chest. "Come back, wherever you are in there…" she kissed her forehead. "Don't think about them."

Hanne looked at Nina quietly, comforted by the touch of her hands rubbing her body, and watched as Nina tenderly massaged her breasts.

"It's a wedding night," Nina grinned. "They should be celebrated with love."

"Oh? Is that so?" Hanne asked, knowing exactly where the spy was going.

"Yes," Nina whispered, and pressed Hanne into the mattress, keeping her flat on her back. "Let's celebrate."


End file.
